We at Greatist love — nay, adore — the push-up. It’s one of the simplest and most functional exercises around, and it works almost every muscle you’ve got. With a standard push-up, your triceps and chest get a great workout, but the movement also engages your shoulders, core, lats, lower back, legs, and glutes. Talk about a ton of lime and mint water benefits for your buck.
Doing the same old push-ups day in and day out can feel a little vanilla, so we’re here to shake things up. Variety can supercharge a workout and throw a whole range of new muscles into the mix. The exercises are divided into five categories — beginner, intermediate, explosive, expert, and equipment-based. Be sure to spend some time perfecting your form and nailing the basics before you jump into the variations that require increased strength, coordination, and balance.
Official Push-Up Certification Board, or anyone in charge of naming the different push-ups. Consequently, what some might call a rotational push-up, others will call a T push-up, and so on. We concede that some people might have different names for these movements than we do. That’s why we’ve linked a video for as many entries as possible. There’s no shame in starting at the beginning! These exercises will help you build the foundation of strength required for the more advanced variations.
Plus, anyone who’s done a good old-fashioned standard push-up knows that it provides a dynamite full-body workout all by itself. Remember: Don’t take on an exercise unless you can manage a full range of motion. If taking a push-up to the floor is too difficult, scale it back. It’s basically a standing push-up done against a wall, which greatly reduces the amount of weight your muscles have to support. Push off of a table or chair on your way down, and you’ll be there in no time. This is identical to a regular push-up but performed on your hands and knees, with your feet rising off the floor as your upper body lowers.
This takes a lot of the work away from your abs and legs, so it’s a great way to practice for the real thing. Treat the push-up with respect, and it’ll be your friend for life. It’s all about isometrically strengthening the stabilizer muscles. By sweeping your arm out in front at the top of the extension, this variation makes it much more difficult to balance, so your core gets a nice workout. This isn’t as tough as it sounds!
Perform a push-up, but extend one leg behind you so it’s parallel with the floor. This adds some instability and recruits your abs for extra balance. This is where you’ll earn your bachelor’s degree in push-ups and the kind of advanced bodyweight skills that will come in handy for the rest of your life. For those keen to up the ante, it’s good to remember that slowing down any exercise will make it more difficult. So don’t be afraid to relax the pace of your push-ups.
KnuckleA favorite of martial artists everywhere, these bad boys strengthen your wrists, toughen your knuckles, and improve your balance. This push-up brings out your creepy-crawly side. This squeezes your obliques and will improve balance. You can keep your knee in the same spot for a few reps before switching sides or bring it forward and back with each push-up. This exercise works your abdominal muscles more than your obliques. The name is a lot less cool, though.
